Borderline, a three-part ensemble dance work created by Aimee Smith in collaboration with some of Perth’s most exciting talent, is a journey of discovery. The first part, “Into the Fold”, opens with dim light, flashes of red reflecting off a moving clumped formation, making it impossible to distinguish bodies. The group strongly progresses the massed movements, starting as a throbbing and swirling bacteria-like creature, then moving on to an echo of worms and early concepts of vertebrates. After many reiterations stepping up in speed and precision, primate traits emerge. Throughout this process the group responds to breakaway attempts by soloists, subsuming the individual element and continuing to develop massed themes. The group’s developments are accompanied by sympathetic adjustments in lighting and soundtrack.
The second part, “No Man’s Land” is a commentary on consumerism, Laura Boynes as soloist caught in the pull of the lure of excess and meaningless consumption, despite resisting it and associated chaos implied in the soundtrack. Other dancers join her, flung out with other detritus littering the stage, adorning her with the flotsam and jetsam of the disposable culture.
“Trans Form”, the third section, becomes ritualised, dancers each finding their own way to success, wealth and self-affirmation at a stunning “shrine” created by a simple but effective piece of lighting design and stagecraft. A return to the motif of the soloist being reclaimed by the group, this hymn to conformity reflects the “different, like everybody else” nature of modern society.
From anonymising coverall suits to individually styled tops and skirts or shorts, featuring mesh panels and fluorescent features on a basic black pattern, Holly Boyton’s costume design assists the choreography by emphasising inversely uniform dance movements as the outfits flaunt bizarrely unique variations.
Trent Suidgeest’s dynamic lighting design is an intense part of the performance, low levels of light and striated coloured illuminations creating a dense, mysterious aspect, and the delineation of “here” and “there” in the second section impossible without the simple but thoughtful arrangement. Ben Taaffe’s sound design is insistent, complementing the movement, from an organic breathing sigh and hum to overlayed affirmations creating a hypnotic trance state driving supplicants to the shrine in a frenzy. “No Man’s Land” starts with fun sound effects, but the initial thuds and crashes build to a disturbing climax with increasing civil unrest and rioting that offset the creation of a living totem by the dancers.
The thrust of the choreography sees soloists quickly suppressed and returned to the main group each time, removing the opportunity for extended individual performances. However, the group’s combined movements, whether an amorphous collection of writhing motions to create a slowly animated whole or robotic unison in supplication to the gods of self-actualised success, are a testament to the high levels of skill and understanding of the work that each dancer brings to the stage.
Borderline is visually intriguing and provides plenty of food for thought, but has held back from reaching its full potential in each section, preferring to instead broaden the scope of the work as a whole. This caution is more than compensated for by the pleasure of seeing such a collection of talent working together on such an interesting project.
Rating 3.5 stars
Borderline
Devised and created by Aimee Smith & Ben Taaffe
Choreography: Aimee Smith in collaboration with the dancers
Sound Design: Ben Taaffe featuring music by Mental Powers, Phil Stroud and Beppu
Costume Design: Holly Boyton
Lighting Design: Tren Suidgeest
Performed by Laura Boynes, Bernadette Lewis, Storm Helmore, Jenni Large, Tyrone Robinson, Tony Currie, Isabella Stone and Ella-Rose Trew
Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA
1 – 4 October 2014
